Method and apparatus for application management

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for managing an application in a digital device are provided. The method includes receiving Appcessory identification information from an accessory device if the accessory device is connected to the digital device; searching, based on the Appcessory identification information, for at least one application having a function of controlling the accessory device from among at least one application installed in the digital device; and displaying application information associated with the at least one searched application according to a result of the search.

PRIORITY

This is a Continuation of patent application Ser. No. 14/283,773 filedin the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 21, 2014, to issue asU.S. Pat. No. 9,971,816 on May 15, 2018, and claims priority under 35U.S.C. § 119(a) to a Korean patent application no. 10-2013-0057337 filedin the Korean Intellectual Property Office on May 21, 2013, the entirecontent of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a digital device, and moreparticularly to a method and apparatus for managing applications storedin a digital device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Lately, portable digital devices have been providing increasingly-variedtypes of services and additional functions. In order to increase aneffective value of digital devices and satisfy users' various demands,various types of applications (i.e., application software programs)executable in a digital device are being developed.

Accordingly, many applications can be stored in digital devices, such assmart phones and tablet Personal Computers (PCs). Also, shortcut iconsfor executing the respective applications are displayed on a touchscreen of the digital device. Accordingly, a user can execute a desiredapplication on the digital device by touching one of the shortcut iconsdisplayed on the touch screen. Other than the shortcut icons, varioustypes of visual objects, for example, widgets, pictures, and documentsmay be displayed on a touch screen of a digital device.

With expansion of additional functions for digital devices anddevelopment of various applications, digital devices provide variousservices by connecting to external devices. For example, if a digitaldevice is connected to an external speaker, the digital device canoutput audio through the external speaker. In order for the digitaldevice to output audio through the external speaker, the digital deviceexecutes an audio application, plays an audio file, and transfers audiosignals generated by playing the audio file to the external speaker. Adevice that connects to a digital device and provides a service underthe control of the digital device, such as an external speaker, forexample, is called an accessory device.

A plurality of applications stored in a digital device may be classifiedinto accessory applications capable of providing services throughaccessory devices connected to the digital device, and non-accessoryapplications incapable of providing services through accessory devices.

However, there is no method of enabling a user to determine, beforeexecuting an application, whether the application is an accessoryapplication or a non-accessory application.

Accessory applications are also classified according to types ofaccessories associated with the application. However, even when using anaccessory application, a user cannot precisely recognize what types ofaccessories the application is associated with before executing theapplication. Accordingly, after connecting a certain accessory device toa digital device, a user is still required to check all applicationsstored in the digital device, in order to find an application associatedwith the connected accessory device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention are provided to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below.

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention provides a method andapparatus for enabling a user to easily distinguish a plurality ofapplications stored in a digital device.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method and apparatusfor enabling a user to distinguish an application capable of controllingan accessory device among a plurality of applications stored in adigital device.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method and apparatusfor automatically providing a user with information about an applicationassociated with an accessory connected to a digital device.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method formanaging an external device in a mobile device that includes acontroller. The method includes receiving an input for executing anapplication for controlling, by the controller, the external device;deactivating a set of functions provided by the application if theexternal device doesn't connect to the mobile device, the set offunctions being used to control the external device; activating the setof functions provided by the application and receiving state informationof the external device if the external device connects to the mobiledevice; displaying at least one installed application icon correspondingto at least one application having a set of functions being used tocontrol the external device from among at least one applicationinstalled in the mobile device; displaying at least one non-installedapplication icon corresponding to at least one application non-installedin the mobile device; and displaying information about a latest firmwareversion of the external device by acquiring information about the latestfirmware version from an external company server using the stateinformation.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an externaldevice management apparatus for a mobile device is provided, with theapparatus comprising a display displaying various data under a controlof a controller, which controls receiving an input for executing anapplication for controlling an external device, deactivating a set offunctions provided by the application if the external device doesn'tconnect to the mobile device, the set of functions being used to controlthe external device, activating the set of functions provided by theapplication and receive state information of the external device if theexternal device connects to the mobile device, displaying at least oneinstalled application icon corresponding to at least one applicationhaving a function of controlling the external device, displaying atleast one non-installed application icon corresponding to at least onenon-installed application, and displaying information about a latestfirmware version of the external device by acquiring information aboutthe latest firmware version from an external company server using thestate information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certainembodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a digital device connected to anaccessory device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a servicesystem according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an applicationproviding server according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an accessorycompany server according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an accessorydevice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digitaldevice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of a front part of adigital device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of a rear part of adigital device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a digitaldevice, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate screens of a digital device, according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a servicesystem, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C illustrate screens of a digital device, accordingto another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a digitaldevice, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of embodiments ofthe invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. Thefollowing description includes various specific details to assist inthis understanding, but these specific details are to be regarded asmere examples. Accordingly, various changes and modifications of theembodiments described herein can be made without departing from thescope and spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions ofwell-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity andconciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to their dictionary meanings, but are merely used to enable aclear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, thefollowing description of embodiments of the present invention isprovided for illustration purposes only and does not limit scope of thepresent invention as defined by the appended claims and theirequivalents.

Herein, singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example,reference to “a component surface” includes reference to at least onesuch surface.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

In order to increase an effective value of a digital device and satisfya user's various demands, various kinds of application software programs(hereinafter, referred to as applications) executable in a digitaldevice are being developed.

Accordingly, many applications may be stored in a digital device, suchas a smart phone or a tablet PC. Also, objects (e.g., shortcut icons)for executing the respective applications are displayed on the touchscreen of the digital device. Accordingly, a user can execute a desiredapplication on the digital device by touching one of the shortcut iconsdisplayed on the touch screen.

With expansion of additional functions for digital devices anddevelopment of various applications, digital devices are providingvarious services through external devices wiredly or wirelesslyconnected thereto. In other words, if an application required forcontrolling an external device has been installed in a digital device,the digital device may execute the corresponding application after theexternal device is wiredly or wirelessly connected to the digitaldevice, and control the operation of the external device.

For example, a digital device may execute an audio play applicationafter connecting to an external speaker, and output audio through theexternal speaker. According to another example, a digital device inwhich a remotely-controlled car application has been installed maycontrol the corresponding remotely-controlled car remotely using theremotely-controlled car application.

In the following description, an external device that is connected to adigital device and operates under a control of the digital device isreferred to as an accessory device, and an application for controllingan accessory device that has a function for controlling the accessorydevice is referred to as an Appcessory application. In other words, anAppcessory application is an application software program that is storedand installed in a digital device and can control at least one accessorydevice. Appcessory is a poi Unanteau of “Application” and “Accessory”.An Appcessory service is a service for enabling a digital device toacquire a function for controlling an accessory device associated withan application for accessory installed in the digital device if theapplication for accessory has been installed in the digital device, andto control the driving and operation of the accessory device.

FIG. 1 illustrates a digital device connected to an accessory device,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustratesan example in which a smart phone 10 has been installed in a head of arobot dog 20 to control operation of the robot dog 20. A user maydownload a robot dog application, and store and install the applicationin the smart phone 10. If the robot dog application is executed afterthe smart phone 10 is mounted on the robot dog 20, a dog's face isdisplayed on the touch screen of the smart phone 10. Thereafter, if avoice command is received from the user, the smart phone 10 controls therobot dog 20 according to the voice command to cause the robot dog towalk or sit down. The robot dog application analyzes the voice commandfrom the user, and transfers a control signal corresponding to the voicecommand to the robot dog 20. In the example of FIG. 1, the robot dogapplication is an Appcessory application, and the robot dog 20 is anaccessory device.

As such, an Appcessory application and a digital device function as abrain of an accessory device, and the accessory device functions ashardware of the Appcessory application and the digital device.

The Appcessory application is distinguishable from other applicationsthat are not associated with accessory devices in that the Appcessoryapplication controls an accessory device. However, application iconsdisplayed on a home screen of a general digital device include noinformation indicating whether the application icons correspond toapplications associated with accessory devices. Accordingly, a usercannot easily recognize what kinds of applications the application iconsdisplayed on the home screen correspond to.

In order to overcome the problem, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, when an accessory device is connected to a digitaldevice, the digital device searches for an Appcessory applicationassociated with the accessory device from among applications installedin the digital device, and displays information about the searchedAppcessory application.

An example according to an embodiment of the present invention fordisplaying the information about the searched Appcessory application isdescribed as follows. If no accessory device is connected to a digitaldevice, icons of all Appcessory applications installed in the digitaldevice are displayed in a deactivated status. Then, if an accessorydevice is connected to the digital device, the digital device searchesfor an Appcessory application associated with the accessory device, andan icon of the searched Appcessory application is displayed in anactivated status. At this time, the icon having the activated status andthe icons in the deactivated status are displayed in a manner that isdistinguished from icons of other applications that are not Appcessoryapplications.

Another example according to an embodiment of the present invention fordisplaying the information about the searched Appcessory application isdescribed as follows. If an accessory device is connected to a digitaldevice, the digital device searches for an Appcessory applicationassociated with the accessory device. Then, the digital device collectsupdated information of the searched Appcessory application andnon-installation application information about Appcessory applicationsassociated with the accessory device but not installed in the digitaldevice, from an application providing server. The digital device alsocollects status information of the accessory device from the accessorydevice. Then, the digital device provides the user with informationabout the searched Appcessory application, the update information of theAppcessory application, the non-installation application information,and the status information of the accessory device. The digital devicealso updates the existing Appcesssory application, downloads andinstalls a new Appcessory application, or updates firmware of theaccessory device, according to the user's input.

Also, in another example according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, if an interrupt is generated while an Appcessory applicationis executed, the digital device may ignore the interrupt, provide aleast a portion of interrupt information to a user and process theinterrupt information, or notify a user of generation of the interruptusing a predetermined alternative method, according to a predeterminedinterrupt mode.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a servicesystem according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the service system includes a digital device 100,an accessory device 400, and an application providing server 200 and anaccessory company server 300.

The application providing server 200 transfers at least one applicationto the digital device 100 according to a request from the digital device100 so that the application is installed in the digital device 100.

An example of the application providing server 200 is illustrated inFIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of theapplication providing server 200 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the application providing server 200 includes aserver controller 210, a storage unit 220, and a communication unit 230.

The communication unit 230 communicates with the digital device 100 totransmit/receive data to/from the digital device 100 under the controlof the server controller 210.

The storage unit 220 stores signals/data to be transmitted through orsignals/data received through the communication unit 230, under thecontrol of the server controller 210. The storage unit 220 stores acontrol program for controlling the application providing server 200.The storage unit 220 also stores a plurality of applications and updateinformation about the individual applications.

In an example according to an embodiment of the present invention,applications are classified into Appcessory applications and generalapplications. The Appcessory applications are used to control accessorydevices connected to a digital device. The general applications do nothave any functions for controlling accessory devices.

In another example according to an embodiment of the present invention,an Appcessory application includes at least one piece of Appcessoryidentification information. Appcessory identification information isinformation representing a correlation between an accessory and thecorresponding Appcessory application. Accordingly, Appcessoryidentification information is information used for identifying anaccessory device controllable by an Appcessory application or foridentifying an Appcessory application having a function of controllingan accessory device. In another example according to an embodiment ofthe present invention, Appcessory identification information includesidentification information of an accessory device. In addition, theAppcessory identification information includes identificationinformation of an accessory company (or identification information of anaccessory manufacturer). In another example according to an embodimentthe present invention, the Appcessory identification informationincludes at least one piece of information of device identificationinformation of an accessory device and company identificationinformation of the accessory device.

The server controller 210 controls overall operation of the applicationproviding server 200. If a download request for a specific applicationis received from the digital device 100 through the communication unit230, the server controller 210 transmits the specific application to thedigital device 100. If a request for information about whether aspecific application has been updated is received from the digitaldevice 100 through the communication unit 230, the server controller 210transmits information indicating whether the specific application hasbeen updated to the digital device 100. Also, if a request for updateinformation of a specific application is received from the digitaldevice 100 through the communication unit 230, the server controller 210transmits update information of the specific application to the digitaldevice 100 so that the specific application can be updated.

Meanwhile, if a request for information about an Appcessory applicationassociated with a specific accessory device is received from the digitaldevice 100 through the communication unit 230, the server controller 210searches for the corresponding Appcessory application using Appcessoryidentification information included in the request, and transmits thesearch result to the digital device 100.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the accessory company server 300 managesfirmware of the accessory device. An example of the accessory companyserver 300 is illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a block diagramillustrating a configuration of the accessory company server 300according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.4, the accessory company server 300 includes a company controller 310, astorage unit 320, and a communication unit 330.

The communication unit 330 communicates with the digital device 100 totransmit/receive data to/from the digital device 100 under the controlof the company controller 210.

The storage unit 320 stores signals/data to be transmitted through orsignals/data received through the communication unit 330, under thecontrol of the company controller 310. The storage unit 320 stores acontrol program for controlling the accessory company server 300. Thestorage unit 320 also stores firmware information about at least oneaccessory device.

The company controller 310 controls overall operation of the accessorycompany server 300. If a request for firmware version of a specificaccessory device is received from the digital device 100 through thecommunication unit 330, the company controller 310 checks thecorresponding firmware version, and transmits the result of the check tothe digital device 100. Also, if a request for firmware information of aspecific accessory device is received from the digital device 100through the communication unit 330, the company controller 310 transmitsthe corresponding firmware information to the digital device 100. Thefirmware information is used for updating firmware of the correspondingaccessory device.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the accessory device 400 is wiredly orwirelessly connected to the digital device 100, and operates under thecontrol of the digital device 100. The accessory device 400 may be aspeaker, a television (TV), a monitor, a remotely-controlled car, aremotely-controlled airplane, or medical equipment. An example of theaccessory device 40 is illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the accessorydevice 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the accessory device 400 includes an accessorycontroller 410, a storage unit 420, and a communication unit 430.

The communication unit 430 transmits/receives data to/from the digitaldevice 100 through wireless or wired communication with the digitaldevice 100, under the control of the accessory controller 410. Forexample, the communication unit 430 performs communication based on atleast one communication method of Wireless LAN (WLAN) communicationsupporting a WLAN standard Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.11x, Bluetooth, and Infrared Data Association(IrDA).

The storage unit 420 stores signals/data to be transmitted through orsignals/data received through the communication unit 430 under a controlof the accessory controller 410. The storage unit 420 stores a controlprogram for controlling the accessory device 400. Also, the storage unit420 stores unique Appcessory identification information corresponding tothe accessory device 400. The storage unit 420 also stores statusinformation and firmware information of the accessory device 400.Herein, firmware refers to a software program for operating and drivingthe accessory device 400. The firmware information is information forupdating the firmware. The status information may include, for example,a battery level of the accessory device 400, firmware versioninformation, and address information for downloading the firmwareinformation.

The accessory controller 410 controls overall operation of the accessorydevice 400 according to a control signal received from the digitaldevice 100 through the communication unit 430. If a request to registeraccessory identification information is received from the digital device100 through the communication unit 430, the accessory controller 410transmits accessory identification information to the digital device100. If a request to register status information is received from thedigital device 100 through the communication unit 430, the accessorycontroller 410 transmits status information of the accessory device 400to the digital device 100. Also, if firmware information is receivedfrom the digital device 100 through the communication unit 430, theaccessory controller 410 updates firmware of the accessory device 400based on the received firmware information, and if the firmware of theaccessory device 400 has been completely updated, the accessorycontroller 410 notifies the digital device 100 of the fact that thefirmware of the accessory device 400 has been completely updated.Accordingly, the firmware of the accessory device 400 is updated to thelatest version.

Referring again to FIG. 2, if the digital device 100 is connected to theaccessory device 400 in a wired or wireless manner, the digital device100 executes an Appcessory application associated with the accessorydevice 400, and controls the accessory device 400. The digital device100 also manages Appcessory applications installed therein. The digitaldevice 100 may be a mobile communication terminal, a smart phone, atablet PC, a personal computer, a portable game, or a portablemultimedia player. An example of the digital device 100 is illustratedin FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digitaldevice according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the digital device 100 (hereinafter, referred to asa “device”) may be connected to an external device (not shown) through amobile communication module 120, a sub communication module 130, or aconnector 165. The “external device” may be another device (not shown),such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, or a server.Referring to FIG. 6, the device 100 includes a touch screen 190 and atouch screen controller 195. The device 100 also includes a controller110, a multimedia module 140, a camera module 150, a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) module 155, an input/output module 160, a sensor module170, a power supply unit 180, and a storage unit 175. The device 100also includes at least one of the mobile communication module 120 andthe sub communication module 130. The sub communication module 130includes at least one of a WLAN module 131 and a short-rangecommunication module 132, and the multimedia module 140 includes atleast one of a broadcasting and communication module 141, an audio playmodule 142, and a video play module 143. The camera module 150 includesat least one of a first camera 151 and a second camera 152, and theinput/output module 160 includes at least one of a plurality of buttons161, a microphone 162, a speaker 163, a vibration motor 164, theconnector 165, and a keypad 166.

The controller 110 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 111, a ReadOnly Memory (ROM) 112 that stores control programs for controlling thedevice 100, and a Random Access Memory (RAM) 113 that storessignals/data received from an external device or tasks being executed bythe device 100. The CPU 111 may be a single-core or a multi-coreprocessor (e.g., a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, aquad-core processor, or a penta-core processor, etc.). The CPU 111, theROM 112, and the RAM 113 are connected to each other through internalbuses.

The controller 110 controls the mobile communication module 120, the subcommunication module 130, the multimedia module 140, the camera module150, the GPS module 155, the input/output module 160, the sensor module170, the power supply unit 180, the storage unit 175, the touch screen190, and the touch screen controller 195.

The mobile communication module 120 enables the device 100 to connect toan external device through mobile communication using at least oneantenna (not shown) under the control of the controller 110. The mobilecommunication module 120 transmits/receives radio signals for voicecalls, video calls, Short Message Service (SMS), or Multimedia MessageService (MMS) with a device (not shown) such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet PC, or another device having a phone number input to thedevice 100, to/from the device 100.

The sub communication module 130 includes, as described above, at leastone of the WLAN module 131 and the short-range communication module 132.

The WLAN module 131 connects to the Internet at a place in which awireless Access Point (AP) is installed, under the control of thecontroller 110. The WLAN module 131 supports IEEE802.11x. Theshort-range communication module 132 performs wireless short-rangecommunication between the device 100 and an imaging device (not shown)under the control of the controller 110. The short-range communicationmay include Bluetooth, InfraRed Data Association (IrDA), etc.

The device 100 includes at least one of the mobile communication module120, the WLAN module 131, and the short-range communication module 132.For example, the device 100 may include a combination of the mobilecommunication module 120, the WLAN module 131, and the short-rangecommunication module 132.

The multimedia module 140 includes, as described above, the broadcastingand communication module 141, the audio play module 142, or the videoplay module 143. The broadcasting and communication module 141 receivesa broadcasting signal (for example, a TeleVision (TV) broadcastingsignal, a radio broadcasting signal, or a data broadcasting signal) andadditional broadcasting information (e.g., an Electric Program Guide(EPG) or an Electric Service Guide (ESG)) transmitted from abroadcasting station through a broadcasting and communication antenna(not shown), under the control of the controller 110. For example, theaudio play module 142 may reproduce a digital audio file (e.g., a filehaving the filename extension of “.mp3”, “.wma”, “.ogg”, or “.wav”, forexample) that is stored or received under the control of the controller110. The video play module 143 reproduces a digital video file (forexample, a file having the filename extension of “.mpeg”, “.mpg” “.mp4”,“.avi”, “.mov”, or “.mkv”, for example) or a digital audio file that isstored or received under the control of the controller 110.

However, the multimedia module 140 may include only the audio playmodule 142 and the video play module 143. The audio play module 142 andthe video play module 143 of the multimedia module 140 may be includedin the controller 100.

The camera module 150 includes at least one of the first camera 151 andthe second camera 152 for photographing still images or moving imagesunder the control of the controller 110. The first camera 151 or thesecond camera 152 may include an additional light source (not shown),such as a flash, for example, for providing an amount of light requiredfor photographing. The first camera 151 may be disposed in the frontpart of the device 100, and the second camera 152 may be disposed in therear part of the device 100.

The GPS module 155 receives radio waves from a plurality ofearth-orbiting GPS satellites (not shown), and calculates a position ofthe device 100 using a time of arrival taken for the radio waves fromthe GPS satellites to arrive at the device 100.

The input/output module 160 includes, as described above, at least oneof the plurality of buttons 161, the microphone 162, the speaker 163,the vibration motor 164, the connector 165, and the keypad 166.

The buttons 161 are provided in the front, side, and/or rear part of thehousing of the device 100. The buttons 161 may include at least one of apower/lock button (not shown), volume buttons (not shown), a menu button(not shown), a home button (not shown), a back button (not shown), asearch button (not shown).

The microphone 162 receives voice or sound under the control of thecontroller 110 to generate an electrical signal.

The speaker 163 receives various signals (e.g., a radio signal, abroadcasting signal, a digital audio file, a digital video file, or aphoto file) from the mobile communication module 120, the subcommunication module 130, the multimedia module 140, or the cameramodule 150, and output sound corresponding to the various signals to theoutside of the device 100, under the control of the controller 110.Also, the speaker 163 outputs sound (e.g., button sounds or currencyconnection sounds) corresponding to a function that is performed by thedevice 100. The speaker 163 is provided as at least one unit at anappropriate location (or locations) on the housing of the device 100.

The vibration motor 164 converts an electrical signal into mechanicalvibration under the control of the controller 110. For example, when thedevice 100 is in a vibration mode, the vibration motor 164 operates if avoice call is received from another device (not shown). The vibrationmotor 164 is provided as at least one unit in the housing of the device100. The vibration motor 164 operates in response to a user's touchoperation (e.g., touching and/or dragging) with respect to the touchscreen 190.

The connector 165 is used as an interface for connecting the device 100to an external device (not shown) or a power source (not shown). Datastored in the storage unit 175 of the device 100 is transmitted to anexternal device (not shown) through a wired cable connected to theconnector 165 under the control of the controller 110, or data of anexternal device (not shown) may be received through the wired cableconnected to the connector 165, and stored in the storage unit 175 underthe control of the controller 110. Also, the device 100 may receivepower or charges a battery from a power source (not shown) through thewired cable connected to the connector 165.

The keypad 166 receives key input from a user in order to control thedevice 100. The keypad 166 includes a physical keypad (not shown) thatis provided on the device 100, or a virtual keypad (not shown) that isdisplayed on the touch screen 190. The device 100 may include nophysical keypad according to a structure of the device 100.

The sensor module 170 includes at least one sensor for detecting astatus of the device 100. For example, the sensor module 170 may includea proximity sensor (not shown) for determining whether a user approachesthe device 100 or whether a finger or a pen 200 approaches the touchscreen 190, an ambient light sensor (not shown) for measuring an amountof ambient light around the device 100, or an acceleration sensor (notshown) for detecting motion (rotation, acceleration, or vibration) ofthe device 100. At least one sensor among the above-mentioned sensorsmay detect a state of the device 100, the state including a directionand a tilting angle of the device 100, generate a signal correspondingto the detected state, and transfer the signal to the controller 110.The sensor module 170 may further include other sensors than theabove-mentioned sensors according to the performance of the device 100.

The power supply unit 180 supplies power to at least one battery (notshown) installed in the housing of the device 100, under the control ofthe controller 110. The batteries (not shown) supply power to the device100. Also, the power supply unit 180 supplies power received from anexternal power source (not shown) through the wired cable connected tothe connector 165 to the device 100.

The storage unit 175 stores signals or data that is input/outputaccording to operations of the mobile communication module 120, the subcommunication module 130, the multimedia module 140, the camera module150, the GPS module 155, the input/output module 160, the sensor module170, the touch screen 190, and the Appcessory client 185, under thecontrol of the controller 110. The storage unit 175 stores controlprograms and applications for controlling the device 100 or thecontroller 110, and also stores at least one application.

In this description, the term a “storage unit” includes the storage unit175, the ROM 112 or RAM 113 included in the controller 110, and a memorycard (not shown, for example, a Secure Digital (SD) card or a memorystick) installed in the device 100. The ROM 112 and ROM 113 may beincluded in the storage unit 175, instead of the controller 110. Thestorage unit 175 may include a non-volatile memory, a volatile memory, aHard Disk Drive (HDD), or a Solid State Drive (SSD).

The touch screen 190 provides a user with User Interfaces (UIs)corresponding to various services (for example, a call, datatransmission, broadcasting, photography, etc.). The touch screen 190includes a touch panel and a display panel, wherein the touch panel ismounted on the display panel.

The touch screen controller 195 drives the display panel under thecontrol of the controller 110, and displays various data received fromthe controller 110 on the display panel. The display panel may be aLiquid Crystal Display (LCD) or an Active-Matrix Organic Light-EmittingDiode (AMOLED), and display various images according to variousoperation states of the device 100, execution of an application, aservice, and the like.

The touch panel is capable of sensing at least one touch operation byvarious instruments, such as a user's body part (e.g., a finger or athumb) or a pointing device (e.g., a stylus pen). Also, the touch panelis able to sense a touch-and-drag operation, in which case, the touchpanel may transfer an analog signal corresponding to a touch trajectoryaccording to the touch-and-drag operation to the touch screen controller195.

In this description, a touch operation is not limited to a contactbetween the touch screen 190 and a user's body part or a pointingdevice, and includes a contactless touch operation. A distancedetectable by the touch screen 190 may vary depending on the performanceor structure of the device 100. The touch screen 190 may be a resistivetype, a capacitive type, an infrared type, an Electro-Magnetic Resonance(EMR) type, an acoustic wave type, or a combination of two or more ofthe above-mentioned types.

The digital device 100 has a configuration for managing Appcessoryapplications. The logical configuration of the digital device 10,according to an embodiment of the present invention, includes anAppcessory framework (not shown), Operating System (OS) (not shown), andat least one Appcessory application (not shown). Referring again to FIG.6, the controller 110 may include the Appcessory client 185 as describedabove. The controller 110 or the Appcessory client 185 managesAppcessory applications stored and installed in the device 100. TheAppcessory client 185 manages connections and operations between theAppcessory applications and accessory devices, and manages systemresources for the connections and operations between the Appcessoryapplications and the accessory devices. Accordingly, the Appcessoryclient 185 manages wired or wireless connections between the digitaldevice 100 and the accessory device 400 (see FIG. 2), and managessessions and protocols between the digital device 100 and the accessorydevice 400. More specifically, the Appcessory client 185 managesexecution of an Appcessory application, data processing of the digitaldevice 100 according to the execution of the Appcessory application, andexchanges of data and control signals between the accessory device 400and the digital device 100. The Appcessory client 185 also manages powerof the accessory device 400.

If the accessory device 400 is connected to the digital device 100, theAppcessory client 185 searches for an Appcessory application associatedwith the corresponding accessory device 400 in applications installed inthe digital device 100, and causes information about the searchedAppcessory application to be displayed.

In order to display information about the Appcessory application,according to an embodiment of the present invention, the Appcessoryclient 185 may operate as follows. If the accessory device 400 is notconnected to the digital device 100, the Appcessory client 185 may causeicons of all Appcessory applications installed in the digital device 100to be displayed in a deactivated status. Then, if the accessory device400 is connected to the digital device, the Appcessory client 185searches for an Appcessory application associated with the accessorydevice 400, and causes an icon of the searched Appcessory application tobe displayed in an activated status. At this time, the icon in theactivated status and the icons in the deactivated status may bedisplayed to be distinguished from icons of other applications that arenot Appcessory applications.

The deactivated status is a state in which no accessory deviceassociated with an Appcessory application is connected to the digitaldevice 100. An icon of an Appcessory application that is in adeactivated status may disable a user's ability to select theapplication corresponding to the deactivated icon. Alternatively,although an icon of an Appcessory application that is in a deactivatedstatus allows a user's selection, the Appcessory application may not benormally executed when it is selected. Also, although an Appcessoryapplication that is in a deactivated status is executed when a userselects an icon of the Appcessory application, a function associatedwith a control of the corresponding accessory device may be notexecuted.

The activated status is a state in which an accessory device associatedwith an Appcessory application is connected to the digital device 100.Accordingly, when an icon of an Appcessory application is in anactivated status, a user is able to select the icon of the Appcessoryapplication, and the Appcessory application is executed normally whenthe user selects the icon of the Appcessory application.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, if theaccessory device 400 is connected to the digital device 100, in order todisplay information about an Appcessory application associated with theaccessory device 400, the Appcessory client 185 may operate as follows.If the accessory device 400 is connected to the digital device 100, theAppcessory client 185 may search for an Appcessory applicationassociated with the accessory device 400. Then, the Appcessory client185 collects update information of the searched Appcessory applicationand non-installation application information about Appcessoryapplications associated with the accessory device but not installed inthe digital device 100, from the application providing server 200 (seeFIG. 2). The Appcessory client 185 also collects status information ofthe accessory device 400 from the accessory device 400. Then, theAppcessory client 185 may provide the user with information about thesearched Appcessory application, the update information of theAppcessory application, the non-installation application information,and the status information of the accessory device. In addition, theAppcessory client 185 may update the existing Appcessory application,download and install a new Appcessory application, or update firmware ofthe accessory device 400, according to the user's input.

Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, if aninterrupt is generated while an Appcessory application is executed, theAppcessory client 185 ignores the interrupt, provides a part ofinterrupt information to the user and process the interrupt information,or notifies the user of generation of the interrupt using apredetermined alternative method, according to a predetermined interruptmode.

In FIG. 6, the Appcessory client 185 is shown to be included in thecontroller 110, however, according to another embodiment of the presentinvention, the Appcessory client 185 is provided as a separate moduleindependently from the controller 110. The Appcessory client 185 may bea software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software andhardware.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a perspective view of a front part ofthe digital device 100, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, and FIG. 8 is diagram illustrating a perspective view of arear part of the digital device 100, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the touch screen 190 is disposed in thefront, center part 100 a of the digital device 100. The touch screen 190occupies the major area of the front part of the digital device 100.FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which a main home screen is displayedon the touch screen 190. The main home screen is a screen that is firstdisplayed on the touch screen 190 when the digital device 100 powers on.If the digital device 100 has different home screens in the form ofseveral pages, the main home screen may be the first one of the homescreens. On the home screen, shortcut icons 191-1 191-2, and 191-3 forexecuting applications being often executed, a main menu key 191-4,clock, weather, and the like may be displayed. The main menu key 191-4is used to display a menu screen on the touch screen 190. On the upperarea of the touch screen 190, a status bar representing the status ofthe device 100, such as battery level, intensity of reception signals,and current time, may be displayed.

Below the touch screen 190, a home button 161 a, a menu button 161 b,and a back button 161 c are formed.

The home button 161 a is used to display the main home screen on thetouch screen 190. For example, if the home button 161 a is pressed whena menu screen or a home screen different from the main home screen isdisplayed, the main home screen is displayed on the touch screen 190.Also, if the home button 161 a is touched while applications areexecuted on the touch screen 190, the main home screen, as illustratedin FIG. 7, is displayed on the touch screen 190. The home button 161 ais also used to display recently used applications on the touch screen190 or to display a task manager.

The menu button 161 b provides connectivity menus that can be used onthe touch screen 190. The connectivity menus may include a widget addingmenu, a lock screen changing menu, a search menu, an edit menu, and anenvironment setting menu.

The back button 161 c is used to request display of a screen displayedjust before a current screen or to quit a most recently usedapplication.

The first camera 151, the ambient light sensor 170 a, and the proximitysensor 170 b may be disposed in the front part 100 a of the digitaldevice 100. The second camera 152, a flash 153, and the speaker 163 maybe disposed in the back part 100 c of the digital device 100.

The power/reset button 160 a, the volume buttons 161 b, a terrestrialDMB antenna 141 a for receiving broadcasting, and one or moremicrophones 162, and the like may be disposed in a side 100 b of thedigital device 100. The terrestrial DMB antenna 141 a is fixedly orremovably attached to the digital device 100.

The connector 165 is formed in the lower side of the digital device 100.The connector 165 includes a plurality of electrodes, and may beconnected to an external device in a wired manner. An earphoneconnecting jack 167 is formed in an upper side of the digital device100. Earphones are insertable into the earphone connecting jack 167.

Also, in the lower side of the digital device 100, an input device 168may be formed. The input device 168 may be inserted into and kept in thedigital device 100, and drawn out and detached from the digital device100 when the input device 168 is used.

Hereinafter, a method in which the digital device 100 configured asdescribed above manages Appcessory applications, according to a firstembodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference toFIGS. 9 to 10B.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a digitaldevice according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.10A and 10B illustrate screens of a digital device, according to anembodiment of the present invention. The embodiments of FIGS. 9 to 10Baddress a problem in which a user cannot easily recognize Appcessoryapplications since icons of the Appcessory applications and generalapplications are displayed on a home screen without distinction, andalso provide, when the accessory device 400 (see FIG. 2) is connected tothe digital device 100, a user with information about an Appcessoryapplication associated with the accessory device 400.

The operation method of FIG. 9 starts from a state in which theaccessory device 400 is not connected to the digital device 100. Thedigital device 100 also stores at least one Appcessory applicationhaving a function of controlling the accessory device 400. In thefollowing description, steps of FIG. 9 are performed by the controller110 (see FIG. 6). However, the steps of FIG. 9 may be performed by theAppcessory client 185 (see FIG. 6) in the same manner, in accordancewith embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, since the accessory device 400 is not connected tothe display device 100, the controller 110 displays icons of allAppcessory applications stored in the digital device 100 in adeactivated status, in step 601. Here, the icons of the Appcessoryapplications are displayed in different shapes than the shapes icons ofother applications. An example in which an icon of an Appcessoryapplication is displayed in different shapes from icons of generalapplications is illustrated in FIG. 10A.

FIG. 10A illustrates an example in which a plurality of applicationicons including an icon 650 of an Appcessory application are displayedon a screen of the digital device 100. The icon 650 of the Appcessoryapplication is displayed in a manner that distinguishes the icon 650from the remaining icons of the general applications. For example, theicon 650 of the Appcessory application may be displayed as a translucenticon or together with an indicator representing a deactivated status.

Referring again to FIG. 9, the accessory device 400 may be connected tothe digital device 100 through a wired cable or short-rangecommunication. For example, the accessory device 400 are connected tothe digital device 100 according to at least one communication method ofWLAN communication supporting the WLAN standard IEEE802.11x, Bluetooth,and IrDA.

The controller 110 determines whether the accessory device 400 isconnected to the digital device 100 (603), and upon a determination thatthe accessory device 400 is connected to the digital device 100, thecontroller 110 acquires Appcessory identification information from theaccessory device 400, in step 605. In other words, in step 605, thecontroller 100 requests the accessory device 400 to register Appcessoryidentification information. Then, the accessory device 400 transmits itsown Appcessory identification information to the digital device 100. TheAppcessory identification information may include at least one piece ofinformation of device identification information of the accessory device400 and company identification information of the accessory device 400.

If the controller 110 acquires the Appcessory identificationinformation, the controller 110 searches for an Appcessory applicationassociated with the accessory device 400, in step 607. Accordingly, thecontroller 110 searches for an Appcessory application including theacquired Appcessory identification information in Appcessoryapplications stored and installed in the digital device 100.

Then, the controller 110 determines whether at least two Appcessoryapplications have been searched (i.e., found as a result of the search),in step 609. Upon a determination that two or more Appcessoryapplications have been searched, the controller 110 proceeds to step611. In step 611, the controller 100 displays an application pop-upwindow including icons of the searched Appcessory applications.

Meanwhile, if an Appcessory application is searched in step 609, thecontroller 110 proceeds to step 613. In step 613, the controller 110displays a home screen including an icon of the searched Appcessoryapplication. The icon of the Appcessory application included in the homescreen is displayed in an activated status. Through this process, thecontroller 110 recognizes a home screen including the icon of thesearched Appcessory application, displays the corresponding home screenon the touch screen 190 of the digital device 100, and displays the iconof the Appcessory application in an activated status in order torepresent the fact that the searched Appcessory application is anAppcessory application associated with the accessory device 400connected to the digital device 100. An example in which an icon of anAppcessory application is displayed in an activated status isillustrated in FIG. 10B. Referring to FIG. 10B, an icon 650 of anAppcessory application is displayed in an activated status. An icon thatis in an activated status may be displayed to appear larger than iconsof general applications or icons that are in a deactivated status, ortogether with an indicator representing an activated status.

In steps 611 and 613, icons of Appcessory applications that do not haveany function of controlling the accessory device 400 among the pluralityof Appcessory applications stored and installed in the digital device100 are displayed in a deactivated status. If a user selects the icon ofan Appcessory application included in the application pop-up windowdisplayed in step 611 or the icon of the Appcessory applicationdisplayed in the activated status in step 613, the selected Appcessoryapplication is executed so that the accessory device 400 will becontrolled by the digital device 100.

Therefore, by managing Appcessory applications according to anembodiment of the present invention as described above, a user is ableto more easily distinguish Appcessory applications from generalapplications. Also, when an accessory device is connected to a digitaldevice, a user is able to more easily find an Appcessory applicationassociated with the accessory device.

Hereinafter, a method of managing Appcessory applications, according toan embodiment of the present invention, is described with reference toFIGS. 11, 12A, 12B, and 12C. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating anoperation method of a service system, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, and FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C illustrate screens of thedigital device 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention.The embodiment of FIGS. 11 to 12C provides detailed information about anAppcessory application associated with the accessory device 400connected to the digital device 100, and information about the accessorydevice 400. In the following description, the digital device 100 of FIG.11 operates under the control of the controller 110 (or the Appcessoryclient 185) (see FIG. 6). Also, the application providing server 200,the accessory company server 300, and the accessory device 300 operateunder the control of the respective controllers 210, 320, and 410 (seeFIGS. 2 to 5).

Referring to FIG. 11, the digital device 100 connects to the accessorydevice 400 according to a request from a user, in step 701. At thistime, the digital device 100 displays a connection guide pop-up windowfor guiding a procedure for connecting to the accessory device 400 underthe control of the controller 110. The connection guide pop-up windowincludes an image or name representing a kind of the accessory device400. If an error occurs while the digital device 100 connects to theaccessory device 400, a message for notifying of the error is displayedin the connection guide pop-up window. The message may include a messagefor informing of a cause of the error occurrence. For example, when thebattery level of the digital device 100 is too low to control theaccessory device 400, an error may occur. According to another example,when a procedural error occurs while the digital device 100 connects tothe accessory device 400 through short-range communication, the digitaldevice 100 may fail to connect to the accessory device 400. If thedigital device 100 successfully connects to the accessory device 400, amessage notifying that a connection has been completed is displayed inthe connection guide pop-up window.

An example in which a connection guide pop-up window is displayed isillustrated in FIG. 12B. In FIG. 12A, a first screen 730 represents astate in which the accessory device 400 is not connected to the digitaldevice 100. A second screen 740 of FIG. 12B represents a state in whicha connection guide pop-up window 741 for guiding a procedure forconnecting to the accessory device 400 has been displayed after theprocedure for connecting to the accessory device 400 has started.

Referring again to FIG. 11, if the accessory device 400 is connected tothe digital device 100, in step 701, the digital device 100 performs aprocedure for providing a user with information about an Appcessoryapplication having a function of controlling the accessory device 400.The procedure may automatically start when a connection between theaccessory device 400 and the digital device 100 has been completed.Alternatively, the procedure may start when a user touches a connectionguide pop-up window 741 after a message notifying that a connection hasbeen completed is displayed in the connection guide pop-up window 741.

Then, the digital device 100 transmits a registration request messagefor requesting registration of Appcessory identification information tothe accessory device 400, in step 703. The accessory device 400, whichhas received the registration request message, transmits a registrationmessage including its own Appcessory identification information to thedigital device 100, in step 705. Here, the Appcessory identificationinformation may include device identification information of theaccessory device 400. Also, the Appcessory identification informationincludes company identification information of the accessory device 400.

The digital device 100, which has received the Appcessory identificationinformation searches for at least one Appcessory application associatedwith the accessory device 400 from among Appcessory applications storedand installed in the digital device 100, based on the Appcessoryidentification information, in step 707. More specifically, thecontroller 110 (see FIG. 6) of the digital device 100 searches for atleast one Appcessory application including the acquired Appcessoryidentification information from among the Appcessory applications storedand installed in the digital device 100.

Then, the controller 110 of the digital device 100 transmits anapplication confirmation request message to the application-providingserver 200 in order to acquire additional information about theAppcessory applications including the function of controlling theAccessory device 400, in step 709. Accordingly, the controller 110 ofthe digital device 100 requests a determination of whether theAppcessory applications searched in step 707 have been updated in theapplication confirmation request message. Accordingly, the applicationconfirmation request message may include identification information ofthe searched Appcessory applications. Also, the controller 110 of thedigital device 100 may include a confirmation request for adetermination of whether there is an Appcessory application having afunction for controlling the accessory device 400, but that is notinstalled in the digital device 100, in the application confirmationrequest message. Accordingly, the application confirmation requestmessage includes the Appcessory identification information acquired instep 705.

The application-providing server 200, upon receiving the applicationconfirmation request message, determines whether the correspondingapplications have been updated based on the Appcessory identificationinformation included in the Application confirmation request message.Then, the application-providing server 200 collects information aboutAppcessory applications not installed in the digital device 100, basedon the Appcessory identification information and Appcessory applicationidentification information included in the application confirmationrequest message. Then, the application-providing server 200 transmits anapplication response message including information about whether theapplications have been updated and information about non-installationAppcessory applications, to the digital device 100, in step 709.

Then, the digital device 100 transmits a message for requesting theaccessory device 400 to register status information, to the accessorydevice 400, in step 711. The accessory device 400, which has receivedthe message, transmits status information of the accessory device 400 tothe digital device 100. The status information, which is informationrepresenting the status of the accessory device 400, may include, forexample, a battery level of the accessory device 400, firmware versioninformation, and address information for downloading the firmwareinformation

The digital device 100, which has received the status information,collects the firmware information of the accessory device 400, in step715. More specifically, the digital device 100 transmits a firmwareconfirmation request message for checking the latest firmware version ofthe accessory device 400 to the accessory company server 300, based onthe address information included in the status information. Accordingly,the firmware confirmation request message may include Appcessoryidentification information. The accessory company server 300, which hasreceived the firmware confirmation request message, checks the versionof firmware associated with the corresponding accessory device 400,based on the Appcessory identification information included in thefirmware confirmation request message. Then, the accessory companyserver 300 transmits a firmware response message including firmwareversion information to the digital device 100.

Then, in step 717, the controller 110 of the digital device 100 displaysan application information pop-up window in order to provide the userwith information collected in steps 707, 709, 713, and 715. Theapplication information pop-up window includes information about theAppcessory applications searched in step 707. The applicationinformation pop-up window further includes information collected in step709, i.e., information about whether the searched Appcessoryapplications have been updated and information about non-installationAppcessory applications. The application information pop-up window alsoincludes status information of the accessory device 400, received instep 713 and information about latest firmware version, received in step715. An example of the application information pop-up window 750 isillustrated in FIG. 12C.

In FIG. 12C, a third screen 750 illustrates an application informationpop-up window 750. A first area 760 of the application informationpop-up window 750 displays information about existing applications. Morespecifically, the first area 760 displays icons of Appcessoryapplications associated with the accessory device 400 and stored andinstalled in the digital device 100. Upon determining that there is anAppcessory application that should be updated, based on informationreceived in step 709, the Appcessory application is displayed togetherwith a update indicator representing that the corresponding Appcessoryapplication should be updated. The first area 760 of FIG. 12C displaysfour Appcessory applications A, B, C, and D, and icons of the Appcessoryapplications C and D are displayed together with update indicators.

A second area 770 displays information about new applications. Morespecifically, the second area 770 displays icons of Appcessoryapplications (i.e., non-installation Appcessory applications) includinga function of controlling the accessory device 400 but not installed inthe digital device 100. In the second area 770, install icons forallowing a user to download the non-installation Appcessory applicationsmay further be displayed next to the corresponding Appcessoryapplications. The second area 770 of FIG. 12C displays Appcessoryapplications E and F.

A third area 770 displays information about the accessory device 400.The third area 770 displays status information received from theaccessory device 400, and further displays information about latestfirmware version of the accessory device 400, received from theaccessory company server 300. Also, an update icon for allowing a userto download the latest firmware is displayed together with theinformation about the latest firmware version.

As such, by displaying an application information pop-up window 750, auser can check information about already installed applications,information about installable applications, and status information ofthe accessory device 400. Also, the user may request updating of anexisting Appcessory application, downloading of a new Appcessoryapplication, and updating of the firmware of the accessory device 400 asnecessary. Alternatively, the user may request execution of a specificAppcessory application. Steps 719 to 729 of FIG. 11 may be performedaccording to a request from a user.

Referring again to FIG. 11, if the user issues a request for updating anAppcessory application to be updated from among the Appcessoryapplications searched in step 707, the digital device 100 receivesupdate information of the corresponding Appcessory application from theapplication-providing server 200, in step 719. Meanwhile, if the userissues a request for downloading a new Appcessory application, thedigital device 100 downloads the corresponding Appcessory applicationfrom the application-providing server 200.

In other words, the controller 110 of the digital device 100 transmits,to the application-providing server 200, an update request message forrequesting the application-providing server 200 to send updateinformation of a specific Appcessory application, according to a requestfrom a user. Here, the update request message includes identificationinformation of the specific Appcessory application. Accordingly, theapplication-providing server 200 transmits update information of thespecific Appcessory application to the digital device 100. Thecontroller 100 of the digital device 100, which has received the updateinformation of the specific application, updates the specific Appcessoryapplication using the received update information.

The controller 110 of the digital device 100 also transmit a downloadrequest message for requesting the application providing server 200 tosend a new Appcessory application, to the application providing server200, according to a request from the user. Accordingly, theapplication-providing server 200 transmits the new Appcessoryapplication to the digital device 100. The controller 110 of the digitaldevice 100, which has received the new Appcessory application, storesand installs the new Appcessory application.

If the digital device 100 receives a request for updating firmware ofthe accessory device 400 from the user, the digital device 100 acquiresfirmware information of the accessory device 400, in step 713. Morespecifically, the controller 110 of the digital device 100 transmits afirmware update message to the accessory company server 300 according toa request from the user. The accessory company server 300, which hasreceived the firmware update message, transmits the correspondingfirmware information to the digital device 100.

The digital device 100, which has received the firmware information,transmits the firmware information to the accessory device 400, in step725. The accessory device 400, which has received the firmwareinformation, updates firmware based on the received firmware informationand provides an update confirmation message to the digital device 100.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention,all information about an Appcessory application associated with theaccessory device 400 connected to the digital device 100 is provided toa user. Accordingly, the user is able to intuitively recognizeinformation about an Appcessory application associated with theaccessory device 400. By allowing a user to easily update or install anassociated Appcessory application, the user is able to convenientlymanage Appcessory applications.

FIGS. 11, 2A, 12B, and 12C correspond to an example in which the digitaldevice 100 collects all information about already installed Appcessoryapplications, update information of Appcessory applications searched bythe application providing server 200, information about non-installationAppcessory applications, and status information of the accessory device400, and provides the collected information to a user.

However, according to another embodiment of the present invention, thedigital device 100 collects at least one piece of information ofinformation about already installed Appcessory applications, updateinformation of Appcessory applications searched by the applicationproviding server 1200, information about non-installation Appcessoryapplications, and status information of the accessory device 400, andprovides the collected information to a user.

Then, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, amethod of managing Appcessory applications when an interrupt isgenerated due to an event generated in the digital device 100, while anAppcessory application is being executed, is described as follows withreference to FIG. 13. In the following description, the operation of thedigital device 400 may be performed by the controller 110 of the digitaldevice 100 or under the control of the Appcessory client 185 (see FIG.6).

Since the digital device 100 is not a dedicated controller for theaccessory device 400, various kinds of events may be generated while anAppcessory application is executed to control the accessory device 400.Among such various kinds of events, there may be an event causing aninterrupt process that interferes with execution of an Appcessoryapplication.

The interrupt process that interferes with execution of the Appcessoryapplication may be a process of switching the screen of the digitaldevice 100 from an execution screen of the Appcessory application to anevent-related screen, or a process of overlapping information on theexecution screen of the Appcessory application, in order to notify ofgeneration of an event or process a generated event. Alternatively, theinterrupt process that interferes with execution of the Appcessoryapplication may be a process of interrupting execution of the Appcessoryapplication in order to notify of generation of an event or process agenerated event. As such, an event causing an interrupt process thatinterferes with execution of an Appcessory application is referred to asan interrupt event (hereinafter, simply referred to as an interrupt). Indetail, the interrupt process may be notification according to a callincoming event, an SMS incoming event, an MMS incoming event, and anInstant Messaging (IM) incoming event. According to another example, theinterrupt process may be notification according to push events ofvarious kinds of applications stored in the digital device 100.According to yet another example, the interrupt process may benotification according to a warning event of informing that the batterylevel of the digital device 10 is lower than a reference level.

In order to manage an interrupt of interfering with execution of anAppcessory application, three interrupt management modes are proposed.The first mode is an all interrupt-disallowing mode, the second mode isa partial interrupt-allowing mode, and the third mode is an alternativenotification mode. An interrupt management mode is set in the digitaldevice 100 while an Appcessory application is executed, and an interruptmanagement mode to be set may be designated by a user.

The all interrupt-disallowing mode is allocated to an Appcessoryapplication performing a process with priority among all processes thatcan be performed in the digital device 100, and in the allinterrupt-disallowing mode, all interrupts generated in the digitaldevice 100 are ignored. When an interrupt is generated in the allinterrupt-disallowing mode, all interrupt processes that interrupt anAppcessory application being executed are disallowed. For example, nonotification for informing of generation of an interrupt, processing ofthe interrupt, and the results of the processing is generated. A historyof interrupts generated in the all interrupt-disallowing mode may bestored in a notification notepad.

In the partial interrupt-allowing mode, a subset of interrupts isallowed to be processed. That is, interrupts for at least one Appcessoryapplication among a plurality of Appcessory applications stored andinstalled in the digital device 100 is allowed, and interrupts for theremaining Appcessory applications are disallowed. In other words, if anAppcessory application being executed is an application allowinginterrupts, when an interrupt is generated in the partialinterrupt-allowing mode, the execution of the Appcessory application istemporarily interrupted and the generated interrupt is processed.Interrupt-allowing applications and interrupt-disallowing applicationsamong a plurality of Appcessory applications stored and installed in thedigital device 100 may be selected by a user. In addition, allowedinterrupts that can be processed and disallowed interrupts that cannotbe processed, among interrupts, may also be selected by the user. Morespecifically, in the partial interrupt-allowing mode, if an allowedinterrupt is generated when an interrupt-allowing application isexecuted, the generated interrupt may be processed.

According to one example, a remote control application for controlling aremote control airplane has been designated as an interrupt-disallowingapplication, an image output application for controlling a monitor hasbeen designated as an interrupt-allowing application, an incoming callhas been designated as an allowed interrupt, and an incoming message hasbeen designated as a disallowed interrupt. In this case, if the remotecontrol application is being executed, all interrupt processes caused byeither an incoming call event or an incoming message event aredisallowed so that no notification associated with generation of such anevent is provided to a user. However, event generation information maybe stored in the notification notepad.

If an incoming call is received while an image output application isbeing executed, an incoming call screen is displayed, and the imageoutput application is temporarily quitted. Then, a user determineswhether to answer the incoming call. If the user answers the incomingcall, the image output application restarts after the call is finished.However, all interrupt processes according to a message incoming eventare disallowed while the image output application is being executed.

The alternative notification mode is a mode for notifying of generationof an interrupt while an Appcessory application is executed by apredetermined alternative method. The predetermined alternative methodmay include, for example, activating a Light-Emitting Diode (LED)installed in the digital device 100, generation of warning sound, orgeneration of vibration. The predetermined alternative method may varydepending on the kind of an interrupt. For example, generation ofvibration may be designated as an alternative method corresponding to anincoming call, and irradiation of a LED may be designated as analternative method corresponding to an incoming message.

The digital device 100 provides a user interface for setting aninterrupt management mode in order to enable a user to set a mode of theall interrupt-disallowing mode, the partial interrupt-allowing mode, andthe alternative notification mode. When the user selects the partialinterrupt-allowing mode, the digital device 100 provides the user with alist of all Appcessory applications stored and installed in the digitaldevice 100 to enable the user to designate interrupt-allowing Appcessoryapplications and interrupt-disallowing Appcessory applications. Thedigital device 100 also provides the user with a list of interrupts toenable the user to designate allowed interrupts and disallowedinterrupts. According to an embodiment of the present invention, thedigital device 100 provides a user interface for enabling a user todesignate a new Appcessory application as an interrupt-allowingapplication or an interrupt-disallowing application when the newAppcessory application is installed.

If the alternative notification mode is selected, the digital device 100may provide the user with the list of interrupts so that the user candesignate an alternative notification method for each interrupt.

If the same interrupt is generated at least twice in a predeterminedtime period, although one of the three interrupt management modes isset, the digital device 100 informs the user of a kind of the interruptthrough a translucent pop-up window, as an exception. For example, if acall sent from the same sender is received twice in a predetermined timeperiod, the display device 100 ignores the first call, but displays callincoming information through a translucent pop-up window when the secondcall is received.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which a digital deviceof FIG. 6 processes an interrupt while an Appcessory application isexecuted, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 13 does not illustrate theabove-described exception. Referring to FIG. 13, the controller 110 (seeFIG. 6) of the digital device 100 sets an interrupt management modedesignated in advance by a user, when an Appcessory application startsexecution. Then, the controller 110 determines whether an interrupt hasbeen generated, in step 801. Upon determining that an interrupt has beengenerated, the digital device 100 proceeds to step 805, if an interruptmanagement mode set in the digital device 100 is an allinterrupt-disallowing mode. In step 805, the controller 110 storesinformation about the interrupt in a notification notepad withoutprocessing the interrupt. More specifically, the controller 110 storesinformation about the interrupt in a notification notepad withoutnotifying of generation of the interrupt, and then returns to step 801.The notification notepad stores a history of interrupts. For example,the notification notepad stores the kinds of generated interrupts, timesat which the interrupts have been generated, and how many times theinterrupts have been generated. Also, the notification notepad may bechecked by a user at any time after the execution of the Appcessoryapplication has terminated.

Meanwhile, if an interrupt management mode set in the digital device 100is a partial interrupt-allowing mode, the controller 110 proceeds tostep 803. In step 803, the controller 110 determines whether theAppcessory application being executed is an interrupt-allowingapplication and whether the generated interrupt is an allowed interrupt.Upon determining that the Appcessory application being executed is notan interrupt-allowing application or that the generated interrupt is notan allowed interrupt, the controller 100 proceeds to step 805. However,if the Appcessory application currently being executed is aninterrupt-allowing application and the generated interrupt is an allowedinterrupt, the controller 110 proceeds to step 807.

In step 807, the controller 110 processes the interrupt, and proceeds tostep 801. More specifically, the controller 100 displays a pop-up windowfor notifying a user of the generation of the interrupt. If processingof the interrupt is completed by displaying a notification pop-up windowaccording to the kind of the interrupt, the controller 100 proceeds tostep 801.

If an interrupt that requires a feedback from a user, such as anincoming call, has been generated, the controller 110 waits for theuser's request for processing or ignoring the interrupt. If a requestfor processing the interrupt is received from the user, the controller110 temporarily stops execution of the Appcessory application, andprocesses the interrupt. Then, if the interrupt has been completelyprocessed, the controller 100 restarts execution of the Appcessoryapplication, and proceeds to step 801. If a request for ignoring theinterrupt is received from the user, the controller 110 stops processingthe interrupt, and proceeds to step 801.

Meanwhile, if the interrupt management mode set in the digital device100 is an alternative notification mode, the controller 110 proceeds tostep 809. In step 809, the controller 100 notifies of generation of theinterrupt by a predetermined alternative method, and then proceeds tostep 801.

As described above, according to the third embodiment of the presentinvention, by properly processing an interrupt generated when anAppcessory application is being executed in the digital device 100, theAppcessory application may be stably executed.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedby the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for managing an external device in amobile device that includes a controller, the method comprising:receiving an input for executing an application for controlling, by thecontroller, the external device; deactivating a set of functionsprovided by the application if the external device doesn't connect tothe mobile device, the set of functions being used to control theexternal device; activating the set of functions provided by theapplication and receiving state information of the external device ifthe external device connects to the mobile device; displaying at leastone installed application icon corresponding to at least one applicationhaving a set of functions being used to control the external device fromamong at least one application installed in the mobile device;displaying at least one non-installed application icon corresponding toat least one application non-installed in the mobile device; anddisplaying information about a latest firmware version of the externaldevice by acquiring information about the latest firmware version froman external company server using the state information.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: receiving application identificationinformation from the external device if the external device is connectedto the mobile device; searching, based on the application identificationinformation, for the at least one application having the set offunctions being used to control the external device from among the atleast one application installed in the mobile device; and displayingapplication information associated with the at least one searchedapplication according to a result of the search.
 3. The method of claim2, wherein the application identification information includes at leastone of device identification information of the external device andcompany identification information of the external device.
 4. The methodof claim 2, wherein displaying at least one installed application iconcorresponding to at least one application having a set of functionsbeing used to control the external device from among at least oneapplication installed in the mobile device comprises: displaying, if anapplication having the set of functions being used to control theexternal device is searched in the applications installed in the mobiledevice, an installed application icon of the searched application havingthe set of functions being used to control external the device, whereinthe installed application icon is represented in an activated status;and displaying, if a plurality of applications having the set offunctions being used to control the external device are searched in theapplications installed in the mobile device, an application pop-upwindow including a plurality of installed application icons of therespective searched applications having the set of functions being usedto control external device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein at leastone installed application icon having the set of functions being used tocontrol the external device is represented in a deactivated status anddisplayed before the external device is connected to the mobile device.6. The method of claim 2, wherein searching the at least one applicationfurther comprises: acquiring information about at least onenon-installed application having the set of functions being used tocontrol the external device from an application providing server, andwherein the application information including the information about theat least one non-installed application is displayed.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein searching the at least one application furthercomprises acquiring information about whether the searched applicationshave been updated from the application providing server, and wherein theapplication information including the information about whether thesearched applications have been updated is displayed.
 8. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the state information of the external device includes abattery level of the external device and firmware version information ofthe external device.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprisingdownloading the at least one non-installed application from theapplication providing server and installing the at least onenon-installed application if a request for downloading the at least onenon-installed application is received.
 10. The method of claim 8,further comprising downloading, if a request for updating the searchedapplications is received, update information about the searchedapplications from the application providing server and updating thesearched applications.
 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:downloading, if a request for downloading the latest firmware version isreceived, the latest firmware version from the external company server;and transmitting information about the downloaded latest firmwareversion to the external device.
 12. The method of claim 2, furthercomprising: executing the searched applications; detecting generation ofan interrupt interfering with the execution of the searchedapplications; and ignoring, if an all interrupt-disallowing mode hasbeen set, the interrupt.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:determining, if a partial interrupt-allowing mode has been set, whetherthe searched applications are interrupt-allowing applications andwhether the interrupt is an allowed interrupt; processing, if thesearched applications are interrupt-allowing applications and if theinterrupt is an allowed interrupt, the interrupt; and ignoring, if thesearched applications are interrupt-disallowing applications or if theinterrupt is a disallowed interrupt, the interrupt.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, further comprising outputting, if an alternative notificationmode has been set, a notification of generation of the interrupt by apredetermined alternative method.
 15. An external device managementapparatus for a mobile device, comprising: a display displaying variousdata under a control of a controller; and the controller configured toreceive an input for executing an application for controlling anexternal device, deactivate a set of functions provided by theapplication if the external device doesn't connect to the mobile device,the set of functions being used to control the external device, activatethe set of functions provided by the application and receive stateinformation of the external device if the external device connects tothe mobile device, display at least one installed application iconcorresponding to at least one application having a function ofcontrolling the external device, display at least one non-installedapplication icon corresponding to at least one non-installedapplication, and display information about a latest firmware version ofthe external device by acquiring information about the latest firmwareversion from an external company server using the state information. 16.The external device management apparatus of claim 15, wherein thecontroller is further configured to: acquire application identificationinformation from the external device if the external device is connectedto the mobile device, search for, based on the applicationidentification information, the at least one application having the setof functions being used to control the external device from among the atleast one application installed in the mobile device, and causeapplication information associated with the at least one searchedapplication to be displayed on the display according to a result of thesearch.
 17. The external device management apparatus of claim 16,wherein the application identification information includes at least ofdevice identification information of the external device and companyidentification information of the external device.
 18. The externaldevice management apparatus of claim 16, wherein if an applicationhaving the set of functions being used to control the external device issearched in the applications installed in the mobile device, thecontroller controls the display to display an installed application iconof the searched application having the set of functions being used tocontrol the external device, the installed application icon representedin an activated status, and if a plurality of applications having theset of functions being used to control the external device are searchedin the applications installed in the mobile device, the controllercontrols the display to display an application pop-up window including aplurality of installed application icons of the respective searchedapplications having the set of functions being used to control theexternal device.
 19. The external device management apparatus of claim18, wherein at least one installed application icon of the searchedapplications having the set of functions being used to control theexternal device is represented in a deactivated status and displayed ifthe external device is disconnected from the mobile device.
 20. Theexternal device management apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controlleris configured to acquire information about at least one non-installedapplication having the function of controlling the external device froman application providing server, and wherein the application informationincluding the information about the at least one non-installedapplication is displayed.
 21. The external device management apparatusof claim 20, wherein the controller is configured to acquire informationabout whether the searched applications have been updated from theapplication providing server, and wherein the application informationincluding the information about whether the searched applications havebeen updated is displayed.
 22. The external device management apparatusof claim 21, wherein the state information of the external deviceincludes a battery level of the external device and firmware versioninformation of the external device.
 23. The external device managementapparatus of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to download,if a request for downloading the at least one non-installed applicationis received, the at least one non-installed application from theapplication providing server and installs the at least one non-installedapplication.
 24. The external device management apparatus of claim 22,wherein the controller is configured to download, if a request forupdating the searched applications is received, update information aboutthe searched applications from the application providing server andupdate the searched applications.
 25. The external device managementapparatus of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to download,if a request for downloading the latest firmware version is received,the latest firmware version from the external company server, andtransmits information about the downloaded latest firmware version tothe external device.
 26. The external device management apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein the controller is configured to execute the searchedapplications, detect generation of an interrupt interfering with theexecution of the searched applications, and ignore, if an allinterrupt-disallowing mode has been set, the interrupt.
 27. The externaldevice management apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller isconfigured to determine, if an partial interrupt-allowing mode has beenset, whether the searched applications are interrupt-allowingapplications and whether the interrupt is an allowed interrupt, process,if the searched applications are interrupt-allowing applications and theinterrupt is an allowed interrupt, the interrupt, and ignore, if thesearched applications are interrupt-disallowing applications or if theinterrupt is a disallowed interrupt, the interrupt.
 28. The externaldevice management apparatus of claim 27, wherein the controller isconfigured to output a notification of generation of the interrupt by apredetermined alternative method if an alternative notification mode hasbeen set.